Carthage Sports Scoreboard

Feb. 8, 2012

Winter Sports

Men’s Basketball

The Carthage College men’s basketball team (12-10, 6-5 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin) upset CCIW-opponent and No. 19 Wheaton College (Ill., 17-5, 8-3 CCIW), 69-67, on Tuesday, Feb. 7 at Tarble Arena in Kenosha, Wis. Carthage remains in fifth place in the league, one game behind Augustana College (Ill., 17-5, 7-4 CCIW) and Illinois Wesleyan University (16-6, 7-4 CCIW), each tied for third place. Augustana (Ill.) a 59-57 winner at North Park University on Tuesday, while the Titans fell at home to North Central College by an 80-73 margin.

The Red Men never trailed against the Thunder. Carthage jumped out to an 11-point lead, 19-8, at 12:45, and the Red Men maintained at least a nine-point lead throughout the first half. Carthage led by as much as 15 points, 31-16, at 3:06 and led by nine at the break, 31-22. The Thunder scored the last six points of the first half and the first basket of the second period to close to within seven, 31-24, at 19:42. Wheaton continued to close and pulled to within four, 32-28, at 17:45. Carthage went back up by 10 points, 41-31, at 15:01. The Thunder made it a three-point game, 43-40, at 11:19 before the Red Men went back up by 12, 61-49, at 5:38.

Then things got interesting. A 13-2 Wheaton run shaved the lead to one point, 65-64, with 16 seconds to play. A Tyler Peters three-pointer capped that Thunder rally. Following a Wheaton timeout, Carthage’s Kevin Sykes made two free throws to give the Red Men at 67-64 lead with 14 second left. Aaron Garriott scored on a layup for the Thunder with six seconds remaining to make a one-point game, 67-66. Malcom Kelly was fouled and converted two free throws for a 69-66 lead at five seconds. Garriott was fouled at the two-second mark. He made the first throw, deliberately missed the second, but Carthage rebounded and won the game by two points, 69-67.

Carthage shot 51 percent (23-45), including eight-of-13 from three-point range, while Wheaton also shot 51 percent (24-47), including six-of-11 from three-point range. The Red Men converted 15-of-18 from the free-throw line, while the Thunder went 13-of-21. Carthage won the rebounding battle, 29-23.

Three Carthage players scored in double figures. Malcom Kelly (Jr., Kenosha, Wis./Reuther) scored a game-high 25 points on seven-of-17 field goals, including four-of-eight three-pointers, along with seven-of-eight from the free-throw line. Mitch Thompson (Jr., Orland Park, Ill./Sandburg) had 16 points on five-of-seven shooting, including two-of-two three pointers, along with four-of-six free throws, five rebounds and two blocked shots. Tyler Pierce (Jr., Westmont, Ill.) came off the bench to score 11 points on five-of-six shooting. Tim McCrary led the Thunder with 18 points, six rebounds and five assists. Spencer Schultze and Aaron Garriott had 12 points each, Schultze with seven boards, and Tyler Peters chipped in 10 points.

“It was a great game,” said Carthage coach Bosko Djurickovic, “and we were due to win one of these. We’ve played a lot of good teams close, and this kind of finish was what we were looking for. The effort was good. The execution could have been better, and we were just so careless with the ball. Nick Bauch was really good, as was Kevin Sykes Jr. and Malcom Kelly. We did a good job defending Tim McCrary, who’s a really good basketball player and a warrior. Our guys knew what was at stake, and they treated the game accordingly. We still have a lot to play for, both this year and in the future.”

Carthage plays host to CCIW-opponent and No. 26 Illinois Wesleyan (16-6, 7-4 CCIW) on Saturday night, Feb. 11 in a 7:30 p.m. game, also at Tarble Arena.

Women’s Basketball

The Carthage College women's basketball team (17-4, 8-2 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin), ranked 29th in the Jan. 31 “D3hoops.com” poll, saw a 15-point second-half lead almost disappear but hung on to outlast CCIW-opponent Millikin University (13-8, 5-5 CCIW), 67-66, on Saturday, Feb. 4 at the Griswold Center in Decatur, Ill. The win extended the Lady Reds’ current winning streak to five games. Carthage remains in second place in the CCIW, one game behind Illinois Wesleyan University (16-5, 9-1 CCIW). The Titans were a 72-58 winner over North Park University on Saturday.

Millikin took a 16-13 lead at 12:24 following a technical foul on Cailee Corcoran and basket by the Big Blue’s Cecily Aldridge. The game was a seesaw affair for the rest of the period. Millikin led by three, 25-22, at 8:20. Carthage re-gained the lead, 28-27, at 5:37 on a layup by Corcoran. A three-pointer by Dani Ripkey at 4:14 gave the Lady Reds a five-point lead, 34-29, and Carthage took a six-point lead, 38-32, at 1:36, which was also the halftime margin. The Lady Reds scored three quick field goals to open the second half, giving them a 12-point lead, 44-32, at 17:24. Carthage upped its lead to 13 points, 49-36, at 15:14 before Millikin cut the lead to six, 49-43, at 12:55. Back-to-back three pointers by Dani Ripkey at 12:34 and Haley Stercic at 11:59 gave the Lady Reds another 12-point lead, 55-43. A trey by Gaby Chapa at 10:26 made a 13-point contest once again, 58-45. Kristi Schmidt scored on a layup at 9:28 to give Carthage a 15-point lead, 60-45. Chapa’s field goal capped an 11-2 run.

With the game seemingly well in hand, Millikin came right back with an 18-4 run to pull to within a point. Cailee Corcoran scored on a jumper at 7:48, and the score stood at 62-48. Carthage went stone cold after that and didn’t score another field goal. After the Big Blue shaved the lead to five, 62-57, at 5:37, all scoring stopped for the next three and one-half minutes before Julia Roberts connected on a pair of free throws at 1:59 to cut the lead to three, 62-59. A free throw by Dani Ripkey at 1:36 finally got Carthage a point and a four-point lead, 63-59. Heather Pruemer’s jumper at 1:20 made it a two-point game, 63-61. Diana Jacklin made the second-of-two free throws with 58 seconds remaining, giving the Lady Reds a 64-61 edge. A layup by Cecily Aldridge at 50 seconds shaved the lead to one point, 64-63, capping the 18-4 Big Blue run. Jacklin drained two free throws at 24 seconds to put Carthage up by three, 66-63. Millikin’s Beth Wellbaum missed what would have been a game-tying three-pointer with two seconds to go. Cailee Corcoran rebounded for the Lady Reds, was fouled and made the front end of a one-and-one free throw to give Carthage a four-point lead, 67-63. That free throw turned out to be crucial, as the Big Blue’s Crystal Ziegler drained a three-pointer at the buzzer for the final, 67-66 margin.

Carthage, which entered the game leading NCAA Division III in field-goal percentage at .473, shot 45 percent (24-53), including 11-of-24 from three-point range, while Millikin shot just 32 percent (21-65), including seven-of-25 three-pointers. Carthage held its opponent under 32-percent shooting for the fourth time in five games. The Lady Reds converted eight-of-13 from the free-throw line, while the Big Blue connected on 17-of-20. Millikin enjoyed a narrow, 39-36 rebounding advantage. Three Carthage players scored in double figures. Dani Ripkey (Sr., Deerfield, Ill.) scored 13 points on four-of-eight three-pointers, along with one-of-two free throws. Cailee Corcoran (Jr., Oak Lawn, Ill., Chicago-Marist) also had 13 points six-of-nine shooting, along with six rebounds, and Stephanie Kuzmanic (So., Mount Prospect, Ill./Wheeling) added 12 points. Diana Jacklin (Sr., Berwyn, Ill., Morton West), while limited to seven points, blocked seven shots and pulled down eight rebounds. Jacklin’s seven blocks were three short of tying a Carthage record of 10 set by Barb Heinig in 1981. Heather Pruemer led Millikin with game highs of 14 points and nine rebounds, while Julia Robert scored 12 points.

“Millikin did a great job making us think a little more than play,” said Carthage coach Tim Bernero. “When we were up by 12 points in the second half, I thought we were going to break things open even more, but we let them hang around. It was an interesting clash of styles. We weren’t going to let them shoot the three, if we could help it, but they let all of their perimeter people take that shot. It was a cat and mouse game, and they wouldn’t let us get inside to either Diana Jacklin or Cailee Corcoran. We tried changing offenses to make that happen, but we wound up winning the game just by standing up to them, defensively. We also shot the three pretty well, and that helped. The big play might have been Dani Ripkey getting to the free-throw line at 1:36. I few win the rest of our games, we’ll win a conference championship. None of the last four games will be easy, but if we win all four, we win the league.”

Carthage plays host to CCIW-opponent Wheaton College (Ill., 14-7, 7-3 CCIW) on Wednesday, Feb. 8 in a 7:30 p.m. game at Tarble Arena in Kenosha, Wis.

Men’s Swimming

The Carthage College men’s swimming team (4-5 dual meet record) won the Saturday, Jan. 28 Wisconsin Private College Men’s Swimming Championship at the Koenitzer Aquatic Center in Kenosha, Wis. The Red Men won the six-team event with 300 points, followed by Lawrence University second at 137, Carroll University ((Wis.) third at 86, Ripon College fourth at 58, Beloit College fifth at 56 and the Marquette University club team sixth with 28 points. The state title was the ninth in a row for the Carthage and its 11th overall.

The Red Men won two relays. The team of Kyle Drake (Sr., Aurora, Ill./Waubonsie Valley), Sam Hoffman (Fr., Maple Grove, Minn./Maple Grove), Aaron Dobben (Fr., La Porte, Ind./La Porte) and Adam Glover (Sr., Eureka, Mo./Eureka won the 200 freestyle relay (1:32.29), and the team of Doug Schranck (Sr., Alton, Ill./Marquette Catholic), Krzysztof Kowal (Sr., Mokena, Ill./Frankfort—Lincoln-Way East), Jake Carabelli (Jr., South Beloit, Ill./Rockton-Hononegah) and Connor McCurrie (So., Wilmette, Ill./Mundelein-Carmel Catholic) took first place in the 800 free relay (7:30.99). Drake, Schranck, Glover and Hoffman also had other individual victories, Drake in the 100 butterfly (53.70), Schranck in the 200 IM (2:03.94), Glover in the 200 freestyle (1:52.08) and Hoffman in the 500 freestyle (5:15.90).

Carthage also collected victories from Teryn Solun (Fr., St. John, Ind./Lake Central) in the 1,650 freestyle (16:40.25), Eric Ross (Sr., West Lafayette, Ind./Harrison) in the 400 IM (4:26.41), Scott Pinter (So., Bloomington, Ill./Normal-Community) in the 100 breaststroke (1:03.18), Brennan Reynolds (Fr., Milwaukee, Wis./Marquette University High School) in the 200 butterfly (2:13.28), and Ryan Ortmann (Sr., Woodstock, Ill./Woodstock) in the 50 freestyle (21.99) and the 100 freestyle (49.09).

The Red Men play host to the CCIW Swimming Championship Feb. 16-18 at the Koenitzer Aquatic Center in Kenosha, Wis. (10:30 a.m./6 p.m. each day).

Women’s Swimming

The Carthage College women’s swimming team (7-1 dual meet record) won the Saturday, Jan. 28 Wisconsin Private College Swimming Championship at the Koenitzer Aquatic Center in Kenosha, Wis. The Lady Reds won the six-team event with 308 points, followed by Carroll University (Wis.) second at 102, Lawrence University third at 97 , Beloit College fourth at 79, the Marquette University club team fifth at 58 and Ripon College sixth with 18 points. The state title was the 13th overall for the Lady Reds and their 10th in a row.

Carthage’s 200 medley relay team of Jensena Paul (Sr., Portage, Wis./Portage), Sarah Wodnik (So., Marion, Iowa/Linn-Mar), Gretchen Heidorn (So., Rochester, Minn./Century) and Emily Voss (Jr., Downers Grove, Ill./South) took first-place with a time of 1:54.90. Paul also took first place in the 100 backstroke with a time of 1:03.42.

Two other Lady Reds relay teams took first place. The team of Voss, Kelly Loftus (So., Winfield, Ill./West Chicago), Alisa Danzer (Fr., Racine, Wis./Case) and Megan Shover (Fr., Prospect Heights, Ill./Arlington Heights-St. Viator) won the 200 freestyle relay (1:45.43). and the team of Ember McCoy (So., Aurora, Ill./Waubonsie Valley) , Natalia Bialecka (So., Des Plaines, Ill./Park Ridge-Maine East) , Lisa Perdue (Fr., Whittier, Calif./Whittier) and Ashley Gladis (Fr., Batavia, Ill./Batavia) claimed the 800 freestyle relay (8:26.78).

Gladis won three individual events, taking first place in the 100 butterfly (1:00.32), the 100 freestyle (54.55) and the 200 freestyle (2:00.18). McCoy won the 500 freestyle with a meet-record time of 5:15.40, which broke a mark of 5:16.88 set by McCoy last year. The Lady Reds also picked up first-place finishes from Bialecka in the 50 freestyle (25.3) and Loftus in the 400 IM (5:03.20). The Lady Reds play host to the CCIW Swimming Championship Feb. 16-18 at the Koenitzer Aquatic Center in Kenosha, Wis. (10:30 a.m./6 p.m. each day).

Men’s Volleyball

The Carthage College men’s volleyball team (5-1, 0-0 Continental Volleyball Conference), ranked first in the Jan. 31 American Volleyball Coaches Association NCAA Division III poll, handed Quincy University (10-1) its first loss on Friday, Feb. 3 with a 3-1 victory at Tarble Arena in Kenosha, Wis. The Red Men’s winning set scores over the Hawks were 21-25, 25-20, 25-22 and 25-22.

Carthage hit .388 as a team. Pat Barry (So., Skokie, Ill./Wilmette-Loyola Academy) led the Red Men with 20 kills and a .500 attack percentage (20-2-36). Randy Hansen (Sr., Oak Lawn, Ill.) had 14 kills and hit .370 (14-4-27), while Matt Yanz (Sr., Bolingbrook, Ill./Naperville-Central) added 13 kills with a .545 mark (13-1-22) and four block assists. Setter Connor Wexter (So., New Lenox, Ill./Lincoln-Way Central) averaged 13.75 assists per set and collected three block assists. Joe Ascher led Quincy with 22 kills and a .545 attack percentage (22-1-40), while Steven Battaglia had 10 kills and hit .350.

Carthage plays host to St. Xavier University on Saturday, Feb. 11 in a 1 p.m. match, also at Tarble Arena.

Men’s Indoor Track and Field

The Carthage College men’s track and field team (20-13 indoor record) finished fourth at the Friday-Saturday, Feb. 3-4 Illinois Wesleyan University “Bob Keck Invitational” at the Shirk Center in Bloomington, Ill. Illinois State University won the 17-team event with 114 points, followed by the Missouri University of Science and Technology second at 68, the host-Titans third at 59, Carthage fourth at 55, Lewis University fifth at 29, the University of St. Francis (Ill.) sixth at 28, Washington University (Mo.) seventh at 26, the College of DuPage eighth at 24, the University of Dubuque ninth at 21, Coe College 10th at 16, Brescia University 11th at 14, the Illinois Track Club 12th at 13, Millikin University and the Jump High club tied for 13th place at 10 points each, Elmhurst College 15th with nine points, Judson University (Ill.) 16th with four points and Benedictine University (Ill.) 17th with two points.

Carthage’s Greg Raimondi (Sr., Harwood Heights, Ill./Norwood-Ridgewood) finished third in both the shot put (51-4 ¼) and the weight throw (57-10). Aryan Avant (So., Naperville, Ill./Neuqua Valley) finished third in the 400-meter dash (50.23). Marshall Stewart (Sr., Naperville, Ill./Neuqua Valley) was fourth in the 400-meter dash (50.30), as was Eric Schmidt (Jr., Kewaunee, Wis.) in the weight throw (57-9 ¼). Cale Brown (So., Naperville, Ill./Neuqua Valley) was fifth in the 200-meter dash (22.85), as was Derrik Guyette (Fr., Hortonville, Wis.) in the shot put (49-10 ½). The Red Men also picked up a win from their 4x400-meter relay team of Stewart, Brown, Nick Blakey (Jr., St. Joseph, Ill./St. Joseph-Ogden) and Avant for the second week in a row. Carthage travels to Naperville, Ill., on Saturday, Feb. 11 for the Chicagoland Indoor Track and Field Championship at the Al B. Carious Track, beginning at 11 a.m.

Women’s Indoor Track and Field

The Carthage College women’s track and field team (21-9-2 indoor record) tied for fifth place at the Friday-Saturday, Feb. 3-4 Illinois Wesleyan University “Bob Keck Invitational” at the Shirk Center in Bloomington, Ill. Illinois State University won the 14-team event with 114 points, followed by the host-Titans second at 82, Lewis University third at 79, Washington University (Mo.) fourth at 40, Carthage, Millikin University and the Missouri University of Science and Technology all tied for fifth place with 35 points each, the University of St. Francis (Ill.) eighth at 24, Coe College and Elmhurst College tied for ninth place at 16 each, the University of Dubuque 11th at 14, the Illinois Track Club 12th at 10, the College of DuPage 13th with nine points and Judson University (Ill.) 14th with six points.

Carthage’s Patti Laufenberg (So., Waunakee, Wis.) finished second in the 400-meter dash (59.14), as did Katie Kummerer (So., Willowbrook, Ill./Hinsdale-Central) in the one-mile run (5:12.52) and Karin Wirth (Jr., Springfield, Ill./Pleasant Prairie) in the 3,000-meter run (10:40.18). Marissa Weiler (So., Morton Grove, Ill./Skokie-Niles North) was fourth in the 400-meter dash (1:01.15). Carthage travels to Naperville, Ill., on Friday, Feb. 10 for the Chicagoland Indoor Track and Field Championship at the Al B. Carious Track, beginning at 5 p.m.

Spring Sports

Baseball

The Carthage College baseball team (0-0, 0-0 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin), ranked 17th in the pre-season National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association/“D3baseball.com” poll, opens its 2012 season with an 11-game spring trip to the Tucson Invitational at the Kino Sports Complex in Tucson, Ariz. Carthage opens the trip with a Saturday, March 17 doubleheader versus Dakota Wesleyan University at 9 a.m. (all times MST). On Sunday, March 18, the Red Men play Wisconsin-Superior at 10 a.m., followed by a Monday, March 19 games versus Luther College at 2 p.m. and Carleton College at 6 p.m. On Tuesday, March 20, Carthage faces Hamline University at 11 a.m. Following an off-day on Wednesday, March 21, the Red Men take on Carleton at 10 a.m. and No. 12 Eastern Connecticut State University at 2 p.m. on Thursday, March 22. On Friday, March 23, the Red Men play a Noon twinbill with Nebraska Wesleyan University. The trip concludes on Saturday, March 24 with a 2 p.m. contest against Middlebury College.

Softball

The Carthage College softball team (0-0, 0-0 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin) opens its 2012 season at the Friday-Saturday, Feb. 24-25 Finlandia University “Superior Dome Tournament” at the Northern Michigan University Superior Dome in Marquette, Mich. Carthage plays Hope College at 5 p.m. (all times EST) and Edgewood College at 7 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 24. On Saturday, Feb. 25, the Lady Reds face Simpson College at 8 a.m. and Wisconsin-Oshkosh at Noon.

Men’s Tennis

The Carthage College men’s tennis team (1-1, 0-0 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin) opened the indoor portion of its 2011-12 season on Saturday, Feb. 4 by traveling to Green Bay, Wis., for a double-dual match at the Four Seasons Tennis Club. Carthage lost to Michigan Tech University (2-0), 6-3, before edging St. Norbert College (0-2) by a 5-4 margin.

Carthage’s Jeff Lotz Jr. (Jr., Racine, Wis., 7-2), ranked 23rd nationally by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association and fifth in the Central Region, lost to Michigan Tech’s Anders Sandholm at No. 1 singles, the latter winning, 6-4, 6-1, before defeating St. Norbert’s Derek Harrington, 6-4, 6-1. Daneric Hazelman (Sr., Lautoka, Fiji Islands, 5-2) fell to Huskies’ Luka Stupar at No. 2 singles, Stupar winning, 6-4, 7-5, before defeating the Knights’ Tim Hartwick, 6-2, 6-2. Matt Whiteside (Sr., Sacramento, Calif./Natomas Pacific Pathway Prep, 0-2) lost both of his No. 3 singles matches. Alex McLean (Sr., Belleville, Ill./West, 3-3) split at No. 4 singles, as did Nick Boomgarden (Sr., Fitchburg, Wis./Verona Area, 5-4) at No. 5 singles. Brian Howes (Jr., Bartlett, Ill., 5-0) won both of his No. 6 singles contests.

The Red Men’s No. 1 doubles team of Lotz and Hazelman (6-1), ranked sixth in the region, won both of their matches. Carthage’s No. 2 doubles team of Whiteside and Boomgarden (1-1) split, and the No. 3 team of McLean and Conor Moon (Fr., Sussex, Wis./Woodstock, Ill.-Marian Central Catholic, 0-2) lost both matches. Carthage travels to Winona, Wis., on Friday-Saturday, Feb. 10-11 for a pair of matches at the St. Mary’s University (Minn.) Tennis Center. On Friday, Feb. 10, the Red Men take on Wisconsin-Eau Claire at 7 p.m., followed by a Noon match on Saturday, Feb. 11 versus Carleton College.

Women’s Tennis

The Carthage College women’s tennis team (7-3, 5-1 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin) returns to action on Sunday, March 18 by playing Hamilton College in a 3 p.m., EDT match in Orlando, Fla. The Lady Reds play three other spring-trip matches, including Luther College on Monday, March 19 at Noon (all times EDT), Grinnell College on Wednesday, March 21 at Noon and Colorado College on Friday, March 23 at 9 a.m.

Men’s Outdoor Track and Field

The Carthage College men’s track and field team opens its outdoor schedule on Saturday, March 31 at the North Central College “First Chance Invitational” at Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium in Naperville, Ill., beginning at Noon.

Women’s Outdoor Track and Field

Men’s Lacrosse

The Carthage College men’s lacrosse team (0-0, 0-0 Midwest Men’s Lacrosse Conference) opens its 2012 season on Friday, Feb. 24 versus Hendrix College in a 3 p.m. game at the Hendrix Athletic Field in Conway, Ark.

Women’s Lacrosse

The Carthage College women’s lacrosse team (0-0, 0-0 Midwest Women’s Lacrosse Conference) opens its 2012 season on Saturday, Feb. 25 versus Birmingham-Southern College at the University of the South in Sewanee, Tenn., beginning at 2 p.m.

Women’s Water Polo

The Carthage College women’s water polo team (0-0, 0-0 Collegiate Water Polo Association Division III) opens its 2012 season at the Friday-Saturday, Feb. 10-11 “Dave Madej Tournament” at Fenwick High School in Oak Park, Ill.

Fall Sports

Women’s Volleyball

The Carthage College women’s volleyball team (34-7, 7-0 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin), ranked ninth in the Nov. 8 American Volleyball Coaches Association NCAA Division III poll, saw its NCAA championship run end on Saturday afternoon, Nov. 19 with a 3-0 loss to No. 6 Christopher Newport University (38-4) in the semifinals of the NCAA Division III Women’s Volleyball Championship at the Washington University Field House in St. Louis, Mo. The Captains’ winning set scores over the Lady Reds were 25-14, 25-22 and 25-11.

Carthage opened its first-ever appearance in the “elite eight” of the NCAA Division III Women’s Volleyball Championship on Friday afternoon, Nov. 18 with a 3-2 win over No. 20 Springfield College (34-3) at the Washington University Field House in St. Louis, Mo. Carthage’s winning set scores over Springfield were 24-26, 25-18, 25-21, 19-25 and 15-6.

Also on Carthage’s side of the bracket, No. 6 Christopher Newport University (37-4) defeated No. 18 the State University of New York-Cortland (42-2), 3-1, with winning scores of 20-26, 25-16, 25-10 and 25-18. On the other side of the bracket, No. 4 Eastern University (36-2) swept No. 11 the University of St. Thomas (Minn., 32-5), 3-0, with winning scores of 26-24, 25-18 and 25-19. No. 5 Wittenberg University (35-3) swept No. 17 California Lutheran University (29-7), 3-0, in Friday’s final quarterfinal match with scores of 25-17, 25-15 and 25-12). Wittenberg (36-3) swept Eastern (36-3), 3-0, in Saturday’s second semifinal match with winning scores of 25-21, 25-13 and 25-19. Wittenberg (37-3) won the Sunday, Nov. 20 title match, 3-0, over Christopher Newport (38-5) with scores of 25-21, 25-21 and 28-26. Carthage’s Cindy Cavanagh (Sr., Naperville, Ill./Aurora-Waubonsie Valley) was named to the all-tournament team.

Christopher Newport opened up an early, 9-5 lead in the first set. Carthage battled back to tie the score at 14-14, and then the unthinkable happened. The Captains scored 11 unanswered points to win the set by a 25-14 margin. Lady Reds coach Leanne Ulmer called a timeout at 18-14, but Christopher Newport ran off the next seven points in a row. The Captains scored the first four points of the second set to run the streak to 15-straight points. Carthage trailed, 8-2, in the second set but came back to tie the contest, 14-14. “I told our team at a timeout that we had to stop beating ourselves,” said Carthage coach Leanne Ulmer. “It’s tough to win when you make that many unforced errors. Christopher Newport is hard enough to beat without helping them.”

The Lady Reds took their first lead of the second set at 18-17. Following ties at 18-18, 19-19, and 20-20, Carthage took a 21-20 lead on a furious rally. “That rally went on so long,” said Ulmer, “we forgot who the server was.” The Captains knotted it up again at 21 all, but the Lady Reds scored next for a 22-21 lead. There was another tie at 22-22, but Christopher Newport prevailed with the final three points and a 25-22 win. Flash back to the regional final against Washington University (Mo.). Now the Lady Reds had to do things the hard way and try to bounce back from a 2-0 deficit.

It didn’t’ happen this time. Carthage fell behind again, 7-2, in the early going and then by nine, 15-6. With a 16-8 lead, the Captains took off on a six-point streak to take a 14-point lead, 22-8, and went on to win by 14, 25-11.

The Lady Reds really struggled on the offensive end, hitting a negative .023 as a team. Michelle Madeja (Sr., Naperville, Ill./Neuqua Valley) led Carthage with 10 kills, while Cory Harris led Christopher Newport with 10 kills and a .323 attack percentage.

“I didn’t expect this,” said Carthage coach Leanne Ulmer. “We’ve been playing great. The result was disappointing, but you have to give a lot of credit to Christopher Newport. They didn’t cut us any slack when we forced the errors. They’re a tremendous defensive team, and I knew we were going to have to play a tremendous match to beat them. We didn’t have our best game today, but I am super proud of this team. We’ve been able to pull ourselves out of things all year, and if we could have pulled out the second set, things might have been different. When you get this far, you want to win it all, so nobody is happy about leaving.”

“We came so close so many times over the past four years,” said Michelle Madeja. “We all have a passion for this game, and we really thought we had a chance to win this championship.” “It’s been an awesome season,” said Cindy Cavanagh (Sr., Naperville, Ill./Aurora-Waubonsie Valley). “The ending was bittersweet, but it’s been an amazing four years.”

Football

The Carthage College football team (5-5, 2-5 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin) closed out its 2011 season on Saturday afternoon, Nov. 12 with a 28-7 loss to CCIW-opponent Elmhurst College (6-4, 4-3 CCIW) at Langhorst Field in Elmhurst, Ill. With the loss, Carthage missed a chance to post its third-straight winning season and its 11th in head coach Tim Rucks’ 17 years with the Red Men.

On a pleasant, late-fall day, Elmhurst broke a scoreless tie at 11:59 second period when tailback Scottie Williams scored on a 15-yard touchdown run, capping an 11-play, 91-yard scoring drive and giving the Bluejays a 7-0 lead. Elmhurst made it a 14-0 game at 6:32 second period when Williams scored from the four-yard line, ending an eight-play, 72-yard drive. Carthage answered 25 seconds later when quarterback Trevor Beazley broke a blitz with a 39-yard screen pass to Reggie Miller for a touchdown at 6:07, cutting the Elmhurst lead to 14-7. That was the halftime score.

The Bluejays scored on their opening drive of the second half on a one-yard TD pass from quarterback Joe Furco to tight end Griffin Gibson. That score came at 11:31 third period, upping the lead to 21-7. Elmhurst made it a 28-7 game at 11:45 fourth period when Furco hooked up with Gibson on a 12-yard scoring strike. The Bluejays’ Trevor Spaulding missed a 32-yard field-goal attempt at with 4:41 to play, and the final score was 28-7.

Elmhurst rolled up 516 total offensive yards, 281 yards rushing and 235 yards passing, while Carthage had 253 total yards, just 39 on the ground and 214 in the air. The time of possession was heavily in favor of the Bluejays, 40:39 to 19:21. The Red Men had the ball for only six minutes and 57 seconds in the second half. The Bluejays’ Scottie Williams ran for 182 yards and two touchdowns on 33 carries, while quarterback Joe Furco completed 18-of-29 passes for 235 yards and two TDs. Joe Gentile caught six passes for 73 yards. Carthage halfback Reggie Miller (So., Downers Grove, Ill./South) ran for 62 yards on 10 carries, and quarterback Trevor Beazley (Sr., Kenton, Ohio) completed 15-of-29 passes for 180 yards.

“It was a frustrating game,” admitted Carthage head coach Tim Rucks, “ and it was symptomatic of how the season went. We couldn’t stop them, and we couldn’t get anything going offensively. The best way to defend Scottie Williams is to keep him off the field, and we didn’t do that. We needed a lot of first downs to keep him on the sideline, but we didn’t get that done. Elmhurst is a well-coached team, and if you keep the ball for 40 minutes, that’s the way to win games. They know what they’re doing, and they’re good up front. They mix things up well, and they ran the play-action stuff very well. We were just kept off-balance the entire game. We need to get better—we’re not happy being 5-5. Our kids aren’t happy about it, and I’m not happy about it. That’s the sign of a good program. A lot of schools would be happy about a.500 season, but we certainly aren’t. Our goal every year is to win the CCIW title, and we have a lot of work to do in the off-season. Carthage football is about playing to win.”

Men’s Soccer

The Carthage College men’s soccer team (14-6-2, 5-1-1 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin), ranked 23rd in the Nov. 8 National Soccer Coaches Association NCAA Division III poll and third in the Nov. 8 NSCAA Central Region poll, saw its 2011 season end on Friday night, Nov. 11 with a 1-0 loss to Calvin College (16-5-1, ranked fourth in the Nov. 8 NSCAA Central Region poll) in a first-round NCAA Division III Men’s Soccer Championship at the Loras College Rock Bowl in Dubuque, Iowa. Carthage entered the contest with a seven-game winning streak and a 13-1-2 mark since Sept. 16.

No. 12 Loras (17-3-2, ranked second in the Nov. 8 NSCAA North Region poll) blanked Minnesota-Morris (11-5-4), 2-0, in the other first-round game. Calvin will play Loras in a Saturday, Nov. 12 second-round contest at 6 p.m. In the loss to Calvin, neither team scored in the first half. “Dominating the first half, 11-4 in shots, and not getting on the scoreboard was the difference in the game,” admitted Carthage coach Steve Domin. “Having that much run of the play and being tied at half gave Calvin some life.”

A shot by the Knights’ Mike Sanderson was blocked by Red Men goalkeeper Milan Tijanic at 76:08, but Calvin’s Nick Holtrop scored on a header at 76:26 for the game’s lone goal. Carthage out-shot Calvin, 18-12, and the Red Men also had a 6-2 edge in corner kicks. “I thought we had one more comeback in us,” said Domin. “We owned most of the statistics, but we were on the wrong side of the most important one. Calvin has a great tradition in men’s soccer, but that didn’t faze our boys. We have a classy bunch of kids who bleed Carthage and pull for each other. Despite the result, I’m proud of what we accomplished this year.” Carthage made its second NCAA appearance in 2011. The 2007 team lost to Washington University (Mo.), 2-1, in a first-round game.

Women’s Soccer

The Carthage College women’s soccer team (8-9-2, 2-4-1 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin) ended its 2011 season on Saturday, Oct. 29 with a 3-1 loss to CCIW-opponent and No. 15 Illinois Wesleyan University (13-3-1, 5-1-1 CCIW) at the Neis Soccer Field in Bloomington, Ill. Carthage took an early, 1-0 lead when Rachel Jason (Jr., Deerfield, Ill.) scored at 17:40 first period, her ninth goal of the year and assisted by Kasie Jabeck. The Titans scored three unanswered goals in the second half to win the game. Emily Hinchman scored her 11th season goal at 55:28, Molly O’Brien her 16th at 69:27, and Hinchman scored again, her 12th goal of the year, at 74:58.

Men’s Cross Country

The Carthage College men’s cross country team (58-75) closed out its 2011 season by finishing 21st at the Saturday, Nov. 12 at the NCAA Division III Midwest Regional Championship at the Saukie Golf Course in Rock Island, Ill. North Central College won the 39-team regional championship with 42 points, followed by Washington University (Mo.) second at 114, Wisconsin-Oshkosh third at 136, Wisconsin-La Crosse fourth at 141 and Wheaton College (Ill.) fifth with 151 points. North Central’s Matt Perez won the 8K race with a time of 24:41.70. Carthage’s Grant Seiler (Jr., Greenfield, Wis./Whitnall) finished 85th with a time of 26:41.50, and Jake Mahaffey (Jr., Mahomet, Ill. /Mahomet-Seymour) was 99th at 26:54.80. J.D. Fuller (Fr., Woodstock, Ill) was 131st at 27:42.80, Derek Hall (Sr., Ingleside, Ill./Fox Lake-Grant Community) 154th at 28:06.90, Eric Bernard (So., Darien, Ill./Downers Grove-South) 157th at 28:08.10, and Jose Flores (Sr., Round Lake, Ill./Fox Lake-Grant Community) finished 197th at 28:53.90.

Carthage finished sixth at the Saturday, Oct. 29 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Cross Country Championship at the Montrose Harbor and Golf Course in Chicago. North Central College won its 45th league title and 38th in a row with 15 points. Wheaton College (Ill.) was second at 53, followed by Augustana College (Ill.) third at 76, Illinois Wesleyan University fourth at 120, Elmhurst College fifth at 138, Carthage sixth at 158, Millikin University seventh at 214 and North Park University eighth with 250 points.

North Central’s Matt Perez took individual honors with a time of 25:15.87, while teammate Neal Kline was second at 25:23.95. 27:04.21. Carthage’s Jake Mahaffey (Jr., Mahomet, Ill. /Mahomet-Seymour) finished 28th with a time of 27:04.21, and J.D. Fuller (Fr., Woodstock, Ill) was 37th at 27:40.45 Will Novorolsky (So., Elburn, Ill./St. Charles-North) was 40th at 27:50.75, Grant Seiler (Jr., Greenfield, Wis./Whitnall) 41st at 27:51.57, and Derek Hall (Sr., Ingleside, Ill./Fox Lake-Grant Community) was 45th 28:12.96. Also running for the Red Men were Alex Nelson (Jr., Red Wing, Minn.) 53rd at 28:41.46, Josh Keck (Jr., Minooka, Ill.) 55th at 28:59.41, Jose Flores (Sr., Round Lake, Ill./Fox Lake-Grant Community) 56th at 29:17.51 and Russell Wetzel (Sr., Champaign, Ill./Central) 57th at 29:29.72.

Women’s Cross Country

The Carthage College women’s cross country team (62-52-1) closed out its 2011 season by finishing 17th at the Saturday, Nov. 12 at the NCAA Division III Midwest Regional Championship at the Saukie Golf Course in Rock Island, Ill. Washington University (Mo.) won the 38-team regional championship with 24 points, followed by Wisconsin-Eau Claire second at 115, the University of Chicago third at 146, North Central College fourth at 150 and Wisconsin-Stevens Point fifth with 188 points. Christy Cazzola from Wisconsin-Oshkosh won the 6K race with a time of 21:31.10. Carthage’s Karin Wirth (Jr., Springfield, Ill./Pleasant Plains) finished 50th with a time of 23:25.70, and Morgan Wiechmann (Sr., Sleepy Hollow, Ill./Carpentersville—Dundee-Crown) was 70th at 23:56.00. Katie Kummerer (So., Willowbrook, Ill./Hinsdale-Central) was 81st at 24:08.70, Lauren Sible (Sr., Oregon, Ill./Byron) 128th at 24:53.80, Katie Schmidt (Sr., Lemont, Ill.) 145th at 25:16.70, Anabel Martinez (Jr., Aurora, Ill./East Aurora) 166th at 25:45.20, and Katie Garringer (Sr., Lombard, Ill./Glenbard East) finished 169th at 25:48.60.

Carthage finished fifth at the Saturday, Oct. 29 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Cross Country Championship at the Montrose Harbor and Golf Course in Chicago. North Central College won its seventh league title with 30 points, followed by Illinois Wesleyan University second at 47, Augustana College (Ill.) third at 80, Wheaton College (Ill.) fourth at 111, Carthage fifth at 119, Elmhurst College sixth at 126, Millikin University seventh at 214 and North Park University eighth with an incomplete team score.

North Central’s Alicia Zimmerman took individual honors with a time of 22:46.72, while teammate Krista Cota was second at 22:48.58. Carthage’s Karin Wirth (Jr., Springfield, Ill./Pleasant Plains) earned All-CCIW honors with a seventh-place finish and a time of 23:38.78. Katie Kummerer (So., Willowbrook, Ill./Hinsdale-Central) also earned all-conference honors with a 14th-place finish and a time of 23:58.50. Morgan Wiechmann (Sr., Sleepy Hollow, Ill./Carpentersville—Dundee-Crown) was 28th at 24:40.00, Lauren Sible (Sr., Oregon, Ill./Byron) 32nd at 24:51.51, and Katie Schmidt (Sr., Lemont, Ill.) was 43rd at 25:40.95. Also running for the Lady Reds were Anabel Martinez (Jr., Aurora, Ill./East Aurora) 47th at 25:53.07, Grace Heal (So., Sycamore, Ill.) 52nd at 26:33.34 and Bridget Driscoll (Jr., Tinley Park, Ill./Orland Hills-Andrew) 54th at 27:00.89.

Women’s Golf

The Carthage College women’s golf team (64-24-1) finished third at the Thursday-Saturday, Oct. 6-8 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Women’s Golf Championship at the Emeis Park Municipal Golf Course in Davenport, Iowa. Illinois Wesleyan University won its 10th league title, all in a row, with a 317-312-326-955 team score, 58 strokes ahead of second-place North Central College at 339-337-337-1013. Carthage was third at 339-341-339-1019, followed by Augustana College (Ill.) fourth at 339-346-361-1046, Elmhurst College fifth at 348-346-357-1051, Millikin University sixth at 342-359-360-1061, Wheaton College (Ill.) seventh at 352-367-348-1067 and North Park University eighth with a 424-421-415-1260 mark.

Illinois Wesleyan’s Katie Klosterman took medalist honors with a 10-over-par 73-76-77-226, while Millikin’s Brittany Holmes was second at 70-82-81-233. Carthage’s Taylor McAdams (Jr., Sycamore, Ill., team-leading 84.1 season average) earned All-CCIW honors with a seventh-place finish at 81-82-85-248. Tabby Bell (Jr., Bloomington, Ill./Central Catholic, 87.6) also earned all-conference honors with a 10th-place finish at 86-85-82-253. Julie Klawitter (Jr., Mount Prospect, Ill./Arlington Heights-Hersey, 88.1) tied for 15th place with an 85-85-89-259, Erin Holst (Fr., Bettendorf, Iowa/Pleasant Valley, 85.4) tied for 17th at 87-89-86-262, Jenna Apple (Jr., Bloomington, Ill., 89.6) tied for 23rd at 91-91-86-268, and Heidi Chronowski (Jr., Monticello, Iowa, 86.8) tied for 30th place with a 92-92-87-271.

Women’s Tennis

The Carthage College women’s tennis team (7-3, 5-1 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin) finished second at the Friday-Saturday, Oct. 7-8 CCIW Women’s Tennis Championship at Carthage’s Smeds Tennis Center in Kenosha, Wis. Wheaton College (Ill.) won its 17th league title and seventh in a row with 72 points, followed by Carthage second at 45, Illinois Wesleyan University third at 35, Augustana College (Ill.) fourth at 33, North Central College fifth at 30, Elmhurst College sixth at 10 and Millikin University seventh with no points.

Carthage’s Hollis McPeek (Sr., Lake Bluff, Ill./Lake Forest, 6-8) lost to North Central College’s Cory Schillerstrom in the first round of No. 1 singles, Schillerstrom winning, 6-4, 4-6, 6-4. McPeek wound up losing in the playback semifinals, 8-5, to Illinois Wesleyan’s Andrea Kerwin. Bari Reynolds (So., Sterling, Ill., 13-4) won the league title at No. 2 singles over Wheaton’s Sarah Ray, 2-6, 6-4, 6-1. Earlier, Reynolds won over Millikin’s Lauren Lambert, 6-0, 6-0, in the first round of at No. 2 singles and then defeated Illinois Wesleyan’s Helen Alex, 6-1, 6-2, in the semifinals. Kristina Naidicz (Sr., Kenosha, Wis./Tremper, 10-6) lost the No. 3 singles title match to Wheaton’s Kirsten Boyer, the latter winning, 2-6. 6-4, 6-0. Earlier, Naidicz won her first-round match at No. 3 singles, 6-0, 6-0, over Millikin’s Brianna Hogan and then defeated Illinois Wesleyan’s Lauren Drawbridge, 6-0, 6-1, in semifinal play.

Erin Henrickson (Fr., Darien, Ill./Hinsdale-South, 5-10) lost in the first round of No. 4 singles to Augustana’s Meghan Wethington, the latter winning, 6-2, 4-6, 6-4. Henrickson wound up winning the third-place match, 8-4, over Illinois Wesleyan’s Alissa Goetz. Abby Ludwig (Jr., Crystal Lake, Ill./Prairie Ridge, 7-6) fell to North Central’s Stephanie Brunetti in the No. 5 singles semifinals, Brunetti winning, 7-6(3), 6-2. Ludwig lost a third-place match, 9-8(7-3), to Augustana’s Katie Scharnagle. Amanda Bizub (Sr., Hartland, Wis./Arrowhead, 8-5) lost the No. 6 singles title match, 6-1, 6-2, to Wheaton’s Julia Carey. Earlier, Bizub won a first-round match, 6-0, 6-0, over Elmhurst College’s Jennifer Guenther before defeating Illinois Wesleyan’s Tara Casey, 6-0, 6-4, in the semifinals.

The Lady Reds’ No. 1 doubles team of McPeek and Naidicz (14-2) lost the title match to Wheaton’s Elizabeth Worsowicz/Sarah Ray, 6-3, 7-5, after winning a semifinal contest over Illinois Wesleyan’s Helen Alex/Andrea Kerwin, 7-5, 6-1. Carthage’s No. 2 team of Reynolds and Henrickson (10-6) won the conference title over Wheaton’s Melanie Milling/Marissa Shults, 6-3, 6-1, after defeating Illinois Wesleyan’s Lauren Drawbridge/Alissa Goetz in the semifinals, 6-2, 5-7, 7-6(7-4). Earlier, Reynolds and Henrickson defeated Reynolds Cross/Margaret Youel from Millikin, 6-2, 6-2, in first-round play. The No. 3 tandem of Ludwig and Bizub (4-8) lost in the playback semifinals after falling to Augustana’s Chelsea Lavin/Emily Kaczmarek in first-round play, the Vikings team winning, 2-6, 6-4, 6-3.

Men’s Golf

The Carthage College men’s golf team (60-16) finished 16th at the Sunday-Tuesday, Oct. 9-11 Golfweek Division III Fall Invitational at Raven Golf Club in Miramar Beach, Fla. Guilford College won the 18-team event with a 290-296-288-874 team score, nine strokes ahead of Illinois Wesleyan University at 298-297-288-883 and Texas-Tyler at 291-304-288-883 tied for second place. Oglethorpe University was fourth at 303-305-278-886, followed by Rhodes College fifth at 296-313-292-901, LaGrange College seventh at 308-304-290-902 sixth, Christopher Newport University at 302-309-295-906, Methodist College at 300-314-292-906 and St. John Fisher College at 297-323-286-906 all tied for seventh place, Emory University 10th at 308-311-290-909, Skidmore College 11th at 307-308-295-919, Greensboro College 12th at 305-316-293-914, Birmingham-Southern College 13th at 309-310-300-919, Huntingdon College 14th at 306-320-295-921, Hampden-Sydney College 15th at 311-313-302-926, Carthage 16th at 313-327-294-934. Wittenberg University 17th at 322-319-295-936 and Berry College 18th at 323-318-314-955.

Noah Ratner from Guilford took medalist honors with a nine-under-par 66-69-69-204, while Hudson Keener from LaGrange was second with a 68-71-68-207. Carthage’s Donnie Langland (Jr., Algonquin, Ill./Jacobs, team-leading 74.0 season average) tied for 40th place at 75-82-72-229 and Josh Kopka (So., Algonquin, Ill./Jacobs, 79.1) tied for 48th place with a 78-79-75-232. Brad Hyland (So., Crystal Lake, Ill./Prairie Ridge, 76.7) shot an 82-85-69-236, Riley Bauman (So., Crystal Lake, Ill./Central, 77.7) a 79-86-78-243 and Ben Schroeder (So., Mundelein, Ill., 78.3) an 81-81-85-247.

Men’s Tennis

The Carthage College men’s tennis team (0-0, 0-0 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin) traveled to St. Peter, Minn., on Friday-Sunday, Sept. 30-Oct. 2 to play in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s Midwest Regional Championship at Gustavus Adolphus College.

Carthage’s Jeff Lotz Jr. (Jr., Racine, Wis., 6-1) advanced to the Sunday, Oct. 2 singles semifinals, where he lost to Fabricio Moncada from St. John’s University (Minn.), Moncada winning, 6-4, 2-6, 7-6(4). Lotz, with a first-round bye, defeated Luther College’s James Ayer, 6-3, 6-0, in the second round; defeated Gustavus Adolphus’ Marcel Gwyswyt, 6-3, 6-7, 10-3, in the third round; won over Wisconsin-Whitewater’s Andy McGlashen, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1, in the fourth round; and defeated Carleton College’s Andrew Hwang, 6-1, 6-0, in the quarterfinals. Daneric Hazelman (Sr., Lautoka, Fiji Islands, 3-1) received a bye in first-round singles before losing to Gustavus Adolphus’ Tyler Johnson, 6-4, 7-5, in the second round. Alex McLean (Sr., Belleville, Ill./West, 2-2) defeated St. Norbert College’s Tim Hartwick 6-2, 6-4, in first-round play before losing to Coe College’s Curtis Newman, 6-1, 6-0, in the second round. Nick Boomgarden (Sr., Fitchburg, Wis./Verona Area, 2-2) fell to Wisconsin-Eau Claire’s Michael Boden, 6-2, 6-4, in the first round.

In doubles play, the Red Men’s team of Lotz and Hazelman (4-1) advanced to the semifinals before losing. Lotz and Hazelman received a first-round bye; won over Allen-Michael Muench/Zach Nipper from the University of St. Thomas (Minn.), 8-5, in the second round; defeated Daniel Pomeranc/Joey MacGibbon from Gustavus Adolphus, 8-6, in the third round; won over St. Olaf College’s John Wigt/Andy Catania, 8-4, in the quarterfinals; and lost to Gustavus Adolphus’ Amrik Donkena/Mya Smith-Dennis, 8-6, in the semifinals. McLean and Boomgarden (1-2) lost their first-round doubles contest to Macalester College’s Stephen Tyndel/Lewis Wilcox, 8-3.

Carthage College tennis coach Brady Lindsley made his 31st and 32nd career trips to Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minn., in the fall of 2011, first for the Sept. 23-25 Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s Midwest Regional Women’s Championship and then for Sept. 30-Oct. 2 men's event. Lindsley has made 16 trips with the Carthage men’s tennis team, including 12 Intercollegiate Tennis Association Midwest Regional tournaments and four NCAA appearances. He has made 13 other trips to Gustavus Adolphus with the women’s tennis team, including 11 ITA tournaments and two NCAA appearances. In addition, Lindsley made the trip three times as a Carthage player between 1992 and 1995. At 408 miles one way, or 816 round-trip miles, Lindsley has covered 26,112 miles in those 32 trips. The circumference of Earth is approximately 24,900 miles.